When the Republic of South Sudan broke away from its northern namesake in 2011 to become the world’s newest country after a lengthy and brutal civil war, southerners gained control of a vast territory rich in oil, forests, wildlife – and tribal discord. Over the last year and half of independence, South Sudan has seen severe outbreaks of tribal violence that have left thousands dead.

My friend Matthew LeRiche, whom I first met on a Nile River barge while writing my book The Black Nile, has spent the last decade criss-crossing South Sudan to research its 50-year struggle for freedom. LeRiche follows warfare, humanitarianism, and how opposing communities can find their way out of conflict. In this slideshow LeRiche, a fellow at the London School of Economics and co-author of South Sudan: From Revolution to Independence, narrates a series of photos by photojournalist Ally Ngethi, on a government program that uses traditional wrestling matches as a way of bringing together communities with histories of armed conflict. LeRiche writes:

“The event, in September 2012, was called ’Wrestling for Peace and Unity,’ and featured matches by two rival tribal groups, the Bor-Dinka and the Mundari. This was the first of a series of events planned in South Sudan with a focus on using the sport of wrestling to build relations between communities. Wrestling is popular among most tribal groups in South Sudan, and these matches have a long history as a customary method of resolving conflict. The goal is to use this sport to provide a space in which to build peace. It’s also a good business opportunity, considering how popular wrestling is.“

Comments

Abdalla

Sudan

January 5, 2013, 9:45 am

Nice culutral photos.
but as for thier struggle for freedom…..??? i hope you are getting the news….
reversed emigration.
talks to export oil .
Silva meets Bashir.
South needs North.
North cannot live without south.
America & the west dumped the South.
whats wrong with you guys
we can also read between lines…………….

Abdalla

Sudan

January 5, 2013, 9:32 am

Nice culutral photos.
but as for thier struggle for freedom…..??? i hope you are getting the news….

Ryb

Roma

January 4, 2013, 7:26 pm

A perfect story about s sudan. Struggle wrestling for freedom a genetic instinct

Wrestlingroots

USA

January 3, 2013, 5:31 am

Thank you very much for this photo essay. We too have been trying to record many of the traditional forms of wrestling across the globe. Your photos are stunning.

-wrestlingroots

Post a comment

National Geographic Voices

Researchers, conservationists, and others share stories, insights and ideas about our living planet's rapidly changing geography. More than 50,000 comments have been added to 10,000 posts. Explore the list alongside to dive deeper into some of the most popular categories of the National Geographic Society's conversation platform Voices.

Opinions are those of the blogger and/or the blogger's organization, and not necessarily those of the National Geographic Society. Posters and commenters are required to observe National Geographic's community rules and other terms of service.

Voices director: David Braun (dbraun@ngs.org)

Fighting Wildlife Crime: The Unsung Heroes

Journalist and National Geographic Fellow Bryan Christy uses investigative journalism to expose illegal wildlife trafficking around the globe. In this video he introduces a a series of interviews with the people fighting wildlife crime on the front lines.

Blog Search

Search for:

Fulbright-National Geographic

The Fulbright-National Geographic Digital Storytelling Fellowship provides a unique platform for U.S. Fulbright awardees to build awareness of transnational challenges, comparing and contrasting cross-border issues. Their stories are shared on National Geographic digital platforms using a variety of digital storytelling tools, including text, photography, video, audio, graphic illustrations and/or social media. Meet the Fellows and follow their adventures across the world on the Fulbright-National Geographic Storytelling blog.

Follow the links on the sidebar of any of the blog's pages for details and tips on how to apply for a Fellowship.

Photo of the 2016/2017 class of Fellows by Randall Scott.

Featured Research: Mushara Elephant Project

Caitlin O'Connell and her husband, Tim Rodwell, started the Mushara Elephant Project in Namibia 24 years ago to better understand elephant social structure, communication and health in order to apply this knowledge to improved care in captivity and ultimately to elephant conservation in the wild. O’Connell is on the faculty at Stanford University School of Medicine and CEO of the elephant-focused nonprofit, Utopia Scientific. A grantee of the National Geographic Society, she is also an award-winning author of six books about elephants. Read Caitlin's dispatches from Mushara.

Nat Geo Expedition: Rising Star

Two years after being discovered deep in a South African cave, the 1,500 fossils excavated during the Rising Star Expedition have been identified as belonging to a previously unknown early human relative that National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Lee Berger and team have named Homo naledi.

With at least 15 individuals of all ages and both sexes represented, the find adds an unprecedented amount of information to our understanding of early human evolution in Africa.

In addition, the absence of any other animal remains or large debris in the fossil chamber strongly suggests that these non-human beings intentionally deposited their dead within this cave.